Asphalt Paving in New Underwood, SD

Asphalt paving in New Underwood is prairie work. The town sits at about 2,897 feet in eastern Pennington County, lower and flatter than Rapid City, with open ground in every direction. Driveways, ranch yards and shop pads here face wind, drifting snow and long, flat stretches where water has nowhere to go unless the surface is shaped to move it.

Cattle-country roots

New Underwood got its start around 1906 and was named for John Underwood, a cattleman. Its Lakota name is translated as new undergrowth. The town has stayed small and steady: 616 residents in 2000, 660 in 2010 and 590 in 2020, in 237 households.

Flat ground and water

On flat prairie lots, the biggest paving mistake is laying asphalt level. Water sits, soaks in and freezes. We set enough crown or cross-slope to move water off the pavement and toward a ditch or yard, and we build edges up so they are not sitting in wet soil.

Yards and shop pads

Ranch and farm yards carry stock trailers, grain trucks and tractors. HomeGuide recommends 3 to 4 inches of asphalt over 8 to 10 inches of base for heavier vehicles and more for commercial loads. Large yards are often surfaced with compacted recycled asphalt to save money, with hot-mix where trucks turn or park.

Pennington County approaches

New driveways off Pennington County roads, and existing ones never permitted, need a county approach permit. The application fee is $250, with a $2,500 surety deposit due when the permit is approved and refunded after the final inspection. Approaches onto state highways go through SDDOT.

Wind and drifts

Drifts that pile against driveway edges melt on warm days and soak the soil. Supported, slightly raised edges and sealed cracks keep that water out of the base. Late summer is the time to seal cracks, before the first freeze in early October.

Costs

HomeGuide lists new driveways at about $5 to $12 or more per square foot. Angi lists recycled asphalt millings at about $3 to $8 per square foot installed, a common choice for big yards.

Typical jobs here

In and around New Underwood we see driveway replacements on older homes, new paved approaches to shops and barns, yard surfacing with millings, and repairs where heavy trucks have rutted thin pavement. Each one gets a written quote with base depth and asphalt thickness listed.

Call (605) 605-1613 or

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for a free New Underwood estimate.